There is disclosed in U.S. Pat No. 4,723,916 a shielded, circular electrical connector comprising an insulating wire housing having a through axial bore from which radially extend a plurality of notches. The notches have slots associated therewith for receiving insulation displacing wire connecting portions, in the form of slotted plates, of contact elements supported by a mating, insulating contact housing. Insulated wire end portions of a shielded electrical cable are inserted through the bore of the wire housing from one end thereof and are dressed into the radial notches which are at the other end of the wire housing. Parts of the wire end portions which extend radially beyond the notches are trimmed at the radially outer ends of the notches. The two housings are then mated so that the slotted plate connecting portions of the contact elements of the contact housing are received in slots of the wire housing to make electrical contact with the wire end portions in the notches. A tubular shielding shell is then mated with the sub-assembly so provided to cover the contact housing but not the wire housing and an insulating boot is then fitted over both of the housings.
The housings are of sufficiently large cross-section in relation to the number of the contact elements to allow of the contact elements, which are received in cavities of identical configuration, and the said slots, to be evenly distributed in the same array concentrically with the longitudinal axes of the housings. Neither of the housings is provided with a hood for receiving the other housing as the housings are being mated, the boot being relied upon to hold the housings in their mated relationship.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,717 discloses a circular electrical socket comprising coplanar electrical contact elements, the planes of which are oriented in preselected positions relative to one another, none of said planes facing the longitudinal axis of the socket, the contact elements are arranged concentrically about said axis and the cavities in which they are received are of identical configuration.